Shirdi Airport to open in November

The brand new airport serving the Indian city of Shirdi will open in the first week of November, officials have said.

The Economic Times reported Vishwas Patil, managing director of Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), as saying that development work is drawing to a close, and that the airport should be ready in approximately five to six weeks’ time.

“Work on Shirdi airport is in the final stages. The air traffic control will be ready by the first week of November. It is set to be launched any time after November 1,” Patil told reporters.

The INR3.25 billion (US$49 million) Shirdi Airport will have a single 2,500-metre-long runway and a 3,000m² terminal building. Located approximately 14km from Shirdi, it will serve the large number of pilgrims to travel to the city to visit the Sai Baba Shrine.

Initially, flight operations will be restricted to daylight hours, before a new night landing facility is installed in January 2017.